Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Method
It is already very cold in the northern border in winter. The wind is like a knife scraping at the bones, carrying snow particles and lashing at the barracks.
Today was a day off, and the soldiers in the same tent with Wu Tianyue were all huddled on the bunk beds, drinking or gambling. Only Zhou Dashan was sitting there wiping his weapons.
Wu Tianyue had gotten used to Zhou Dashan's strictness these days, and was a little uncomfortable with the relaxed attitude of the people in the tent. However, he also knew that there was high pressure in the military camp. The generals above were not particularly bad officers, but they were not good either. They basically let their subordinates do what they wanted. Zhou Dashan kept a close eye on them, and the training was very hard. If they were not allowed to relax, there would be problems.
"Brother Zhao," Wu Tianyue was thinking when a head popped into the tent. It was Li Daniu. "The military market is open today. Do you want to go and take a look?"
Wu Tianyue nodded, stood up and said something to Zhou Dashan, wrapped his thin clothes tightly around him, put on a felt hat covering his ears, and went out with Li Daniu.
The procedures for leaving the camp were very complicated, which was one of the few things that made Wu Tianyue feel relieved since he came here.
After checking the talisman, Wu Tianyue exchanged a few words with the sentry on duty. They were the ones who knew the various matters in the military camp. Wu Tianyue handed them a small piece of silver and said, "Brother, you have worked hard. I will buy you some wine to warm you up later."
Wu Tianyue's money was a far cry from what it had before, but it was already a small asset for these ordinary soldiers. In addition, he was generous, good at talking and doing, and was very popular with everyone.
The sentry took the change and grinned knowingly, "I'll stand guard until tomorrow morning, but I must be back before midnight."
Wu Tianyue patted his shoulder as a gesture before walking out of the camp.
Li Daniu had already checked in and was waiting at the door. Seeing him coming, he asked with concern, "What took you so long? Was that soldier holding you back?"
"I'm from Zhou Dashan Wuzhong."
Zhou Dashan is an upright and serious person. He can't stand people who are lax and often reminds other sergeants to practice more. He attaches great importance to rules and is very dissatisfied with the "convenience" behavior that is common in the army. Therefore, many people in the camp don't like him, and even his subordinates will be tripped up by these harmless little things.
Sure enough, after hearing Wu Tianyue's words, Li Daniu immediately understood: "Thank you for your hard work."
The wind was getting stronger and stronger, blowing into their mouths. After saying this, the two men shut up, lowered their hat brims, and walked towards the military market in silence.
The imperial court had not fought a major war for a long time, and the northern border was bitterly cold, so the soldiers could not go too far for rest and rest, so the military market was set up in a leeward valley three miles away from the camp. It was filled with shops run by nearby residents and retired soldiers. The shops were simple and crude, but they had a fairly complete range of items.
Wu Tianyue and Li Daniu were strolling along the road in the market when they suddenly saw an inconspicuous fur shop among many tents and wooden houses. A small hibiscus was painted on the lower right corner of the shop sign.
"You go for a walk first." Wu Tianyue said, clutching his stomach, "I drank a few sips of cold water last night."
It is indeed easy to get diarrhea in the winter due to the cold. Li Daniu has been affected by it several times, so he did not doubt it. He looked around and said, "I'll wait for you at the tavern over there."
Wu Tianyue didn't wait for him to finish, and ran to the back of the military market, holding his stomach. He stayed in the toilet for a while, then walked out with his hat lowered, and went to the fur shop he had just seen.
The shop was dimly lit, and the air was filled with the smell of raw hides, saltpeter, and charcoal. In the past, Wu Tianyue would have definitely found it unpleasant and would have left immediately. However, after experiencing several months of traveling and sleeping on the same bunk with a smelly man who had been training all day, this little smell was nothing to him now.
The shopkeeper was tapping on an abacus with his head down. When he saw someone coming in, he raised his eyelids. When he saw that it was Wu Tianyue, his hands stopped moving and his eyes widened. How did the prince become like this?
His clothes were worn and thin, he had a big beard, and the skin on his body and face was dark and rough, making him look like a country hunter. Only his eyes were sharper and more oppressive than before, which made people know that he was not ordinary.
Wu Tianyue pretended not to notice his shock and said in a steady voice, "Boss, do you have any leather ropes for sale?"
"Yes." The shopkeeper came back to his senses, put down the abacus, glared at the dazed shop assistant, told him to watch the shop, and lifted the curtain leading to the back. "They are all kept in the back room. Please go inside and take a look."
The clerk was still standing there in a daze. After being glared at, he quickly looked away and put away the furs hanging in the store.
Wu Tianyue glanced at him, a little surprised, but did not show it on his face, and followed the shopkeeper into the back hall.
The back hall was more cramped, but much warmer than outside.
As soon as he came in, the shopkeeper knelt down respectfully: "Prince."
"Get up." Wu Tianyue poured himself a cup of hot tea. "Don't be so polite when you're out in public."
"Yes." The shopkeeper responded and took out a long and narrow wooden box from under a pile of leather.
Wu Tianyue drank a sip of tea, tears welling up in his eyes. Finally, he had a sip of hot water. He calmed down and took the wooden box. "How is the situation in Beijing?"
"Everything is fine," the shopkeeper replied, head bowed. "It's just that Her Majesty has repeatedly summoned Lord Chang Jian to inquire about the news."
"Nothing." Wu Tianyue processed the documents in the box. "Just don't let them know which identity I'm using."
After finishing the work, Wu Tianyue picked up his pen and wrote a letter. After finishing it, he thought that it was not miserable enough. Considering how cruel his mother was, she was probably still angry and was afraid that she would ignore him, so he burned the paper and wrote a new one.
After writing it, he handed it to the shopkeeper and said, "Send this letter to the princess as soon as possible. After that, escort the things sent by the princess along the way. At the same time, help the person who came to contact various places in the northern border to ensure that the lower-level soldiers can receive it."
The shopkeeper took it, rolled it into a thin coil, and stuffed it into a hollow leather knot. "Don't worry, my lord. Master Feiyan has had all the joints along the way opened up over the past few months."
"I believe in your abilities." Wu Tianyue praised, then thought of the fellow and wondered, "Why is he here?"
"Those sent to the Northern Frontier are selected through various competitions. Although Jia Huan's martial arts and literary talent are somewhat inferior to those of his peers, he is clever, gets along well with merchants and common people, and is reliable in his work," the shopkeeper replied. "Furthermore, his status is different. Lord Fei Yan wants to train him a little. When he returns to the Jia Mansion, he can be arranged to serve the young lady."
Wu Tianyue heard that Daiyu was training someone, so he didn't ask any more questions and just said, "As long as you can control it, that's fine."
After saying that, he stood up, picked out a few ordinary leather ropes and a small bag of dried meat, left the fur shop, walked around the noisy crowd, and entered the tavern where he had made an appointment with Li Daniu.
"Brother Zhao." Li Daniu, sitting at the innermost table, waved at him, "Here."
Wu Tianyue walked over and said with a smile, "I just came out and saw a fur shop, so I went there to buy some dried meat and leather ropes."
Then, he handed him a leather rope and some dried meat and said, "How about trying it?"
Li Daniu knew that he had some money on him, so he didn't hesitate to throw a piece into his mouth and said with a smile, "Not bad."
Wu Tianyue also chewed a piece of dried meat and drank a few sips of wine with Li Daniu. Seeing that the time was almost up, he tightened his clothes and hat and went back to the military camp.
When he arrived at the tent, he shared the wine sent by Li Daniu with his teammates. When he felt warmer, he wrapped himself in a thin blanket and rested.
Lying on the cold bunk, Wu Tianyue unconsciously stroked the short hairpin he took from Daiyu, and his mind flew to the distant capital.
Beijing, Prince Zhongshun's Palace
The sky in winter always turns gloomy early. Just after 3 p.m., lead-gray clouds begin to press down heavily.
The lights in Princess Zhongshun's courtyard were lit early, and the charcoal basin in the hall was burning brightly. The warmth mixed with the agarwood scent blocked out the howling north wind outside the window.
The twelfth lunar month was approaching, and the affairs of the palace were complicated. Princess Zhongshun brought Daiyu to her and helped her handle various affairs, also with the intention of letting her get familiar with the situation.
"Yu'er, look at this." Princess Zhongshun pointed to the purchase list for the new year. "It's the end of winter. Someone needs to count the silver frost charcoal in the warehouse. Each room needs to have a sufficient allotment..."
Before she could finish her words, the outer curtain was lifted, bringing in a gust of cold wind. Xia Jin hurried out to check and soon returned with a letter: "Your Majesty, a letter from the Prince."
"How dare that brat send me a letter? I haven't settled the score with him for running away yet." Princess Zhongshun cursed Wu Tianyue, but she didn't slow down at all when receiving the letter.
"Dear Mother:
The frontier is bitterly cold, the north wind slashing like a knife. The army lacks winter clothing, and three out of ten soldiers are freezing. Although I'm a strong child, I can't withstand the bone-piercing cold outside the frontier. Yesterday, I dreamed of returning to the palace. My mother put clothes on me, and I felt as warm as spring. When I woke up, my pillow was wet with tears.
Unfilial son kowtows
On the tenth day of the winter month, outside the Tieyi Pass in the northern border area
Wang Ziteng had just finished patrolling the border, so he was not short of winter clothes. At most, the quality was a little poor. Princess Zhongshun saw at a glance that her son was playing the victim, but she still felt a little reluctant. He had been living a life of luxury since he was a child and had never suffered such hardship.
"It's so cold in the capital, and it's even colder there. The new soldiers in the barracks further north definitely don't have enough charcoal to burn. How can they bear it?" Daiyu read the letter nearby, feeling distressed and uncomfortable. She frowned slightly and said, "Madam, can't we send something?"
Princess Zhongshun was also somewhat tempted, but her son's current situation was because the emperor valued his abilities but did not want him to lead the army, and specifically ordered him to remain anonymous. If she sent something, it would inevitably be discovered by someone in the army, which would anger the emperor. So she sighed and shook her head, "I'm afraid it won't work."
Wu Tianyue had mentioned to Daiyu the emperor's suspicions. Daiyu pondered for a moment and suggested, "Why don't you go and ask the emperor for help?"
Princess Zhongshun asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"Your Majesty is probably concerned... about not sending anything to the border." Daiyu pointed to the sky. "Since you're afraid he'll overthink things, why not just state it openly and say you can't bear to see the prince suffer outside, and are willing to provide warm clothing for the border troops."
Seeing Princess Zhongshun lost in thought, she added, "Your Majesty is only a woman in the harem, so it's normal for her to dote on her only son. The Emperor has always advocated governing the country with filial piety, so he probably wouldn't make things difficult for a mother. Furthermore, this way, we have a clear path ahead. Even if others have complaints, they won't dare to say anything."
"Yu'er is indeed intelligent." Princess Zhongshun smiled and hugged Daiyu. "You are truly a blessing to our Zhongshun Palace."
"What are you talking about, Madam?" Daiyu leaned against her chest and acted coquettishly. "The fact that the palace received the letter cannot be concealed for long. It is better to go to the palace as soon as possible. This will also let His Majesty know that you love your son so much that you are in such a panic."
Princess Zhongshun smiled and nodded. With Daiyu's help, she took off her hairpins and rings, fumigated her eyes with some stimulating spices, changed into simple and elegant casual clothes, and then went into the palace.
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